Carton.



PATENTBD MAY 3, 1904.

A. G. SMITH.

CARTON.

/Wmnwr Illll lll' :na asaoee.

NTTED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

ALBERT C. SiN/HTH, OF ROSEDALE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR lTO LOOSE-TILES CRACKER& CANDY COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI'.

CARTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,032, dated May 3,1904.

Application tiled December 14, 1903. Serial No. 185,162. (No model.)

To n/ZZ lull/0711, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residingI at Rosedale, Wyandotte county, Kansas, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Cartons, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being'had IO to the accompanying drawings, forming partA of thisspecification, in whichn Figure 1 is a perspective view showing thecarton closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the carton,showing the top section unlocked and partly raised. Fig. 3 is a planviewl of that portion of the blank which produces one end of the topsection and the adjacent end of the tuck-flap. Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryelevation chieiiy in section on zo about the line 4 fief Fig. 5. Fig. 5is a fragmentary top plan view of one corner of the carton, and Fig. 6is a sectional plan view of the same corner of the carton on about theline 6 6 of Fig. f1.

2 5 This invention relates to improvements in ca1tons`such, for example,as are commonly employed for packaging crackers and the like.

My object is to provide a simple and convenicnt means for teml'iorarilylocking the top section in closed position.

To this end the invention consists in the various matters hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

3 5 artons of the general character of the present are old and wellknown, and therefore the construction of the major portion of the cartonneed not be particularly described in this speciiication, a carton ofthe general charac- 40 ter of the present being disclosed, for example,bythe patentto F. M. Peters, No. 621,974,

grantet'l lVlarch 28, 1899.

Such a carton as that to which the present invention relates comprises,of course, abod y portion and a top section, which is adapted to closethe carton in a manner which is well understood. The accomljianyingdrawings illustrate the front section 1 and one of the ends 2 of thebody portion and also show the top section 3 hinged at its back to thebody 50 portion, all as is well known and well understood. As is commonin cartons of the general character of the present a top iiap 4 extendsinwardly from each end 2, and at the forward or .free edge of the topsection is a tuck-flap 5, which when the carton is closed lies betweenthe front section 1 and the top flaps 4L.

Cartons constructed as thus far described have been upon the market forseveral years; 6o but they are objectionable in that unless someseparate and additional fastening member is employed (suoli as a string'tied about the carton or a band or covering pasted about the same) thetop section will not remain in closed 6 5 position, such top sectionfrequently flying open during handling-of the carton. This accidentalopening of the carton is highly 0bjectionahle during handling of thesame at the factory, as it makes it necessary for the va- 7o rionsoperators to successively close the carton and also makes it liable forthe contents of the carton to accidentally fall therefrom before thecarton is finally closed by the outer wrappercommonly employed and forthe inner wrapper (usually a piece of parafiin-paper having ends foldedupon the top oif the crackers or other contents) to become disarranged.Furthermore, with the cartons heretofore in use it has been almostimpossible to cause the 8o top section to remain in closed positionafter the usual outer wrapper has been removed by the purchaser, thuscausing the contents of the carton to be at least partially exposedafter the customary outer wrapper has been broken. The present cartonovercomes these difiiculties and provides in a simple and efiicientmanner for temporarily holding the top flap in closed position. In thepresent carton a slit or ker't' 6 is produced at each end of the 90 topsection in the line of the bend. between the top section 3 and thetuck-Hap 5, each slit or kerf 6 opening' upon the end of the top sectionand extendinginwardly a short distance.

' inter-engagement between parts (the top iiaps) This simple change inthe structure of the cart0n causes each end of the tucl; "lap to becomei a locking-tongue 7.

rlhe carton is made u p in the usual manner, is filled, and is closed inthe manner heretofore practiced. After the carton has been closed withthe tuck-flap lying in its usual position in rear of the front section 1it is only necessary for the operator to press inwardly with his thumbsagainst the upper corners 8 of the front section. As the locking-tongues7 of the tuck-fiap lie against these corners of the front section, saidtongues are forced inwardly and caused to engage under the top flaps 4,as clearly shown in F ig. t. As the portions of the front section lwhich have been engaged by the operator in the manner indicated areintermediate portions of a sheet of material, such engaged port-ions ofthe front section readily return to normal position as soon as pressureis relieved; but as the locking-tongues 7 are only free ends of thetuchflap they remain in their bent positions, engaging under the topflaps t, as shown in Fig. et. Furthermore, as the lierfs 6 arepreferably mere `cuts and have practically no width the top iiaps 4Lbecome wedged between the top section 3 and the locking-tongues 7. Aswill be readily apparent, these locking-tongues of the tuck-Hap engagingunder the top fiaps, as just indicated, the top section is lockedagainst accidental opening', although the top section can be opened whendesired by merely pulling the top section toward open position withsufficient force.

lt will be readily apparent that the top flaps 4, connected to the bodyportion of the carton, forni shoulders under which the lockingtongues Tengage, the top section being locked in its closed position by reason ofa simple carried by the body portion and parts (the locking-tongues 7)carried by the top section 3.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the several parts of my device can be made andsubstituted for those herein shown and described without in the leastdeparting from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is

l. A carton comprising in its construction bottom, top, side and endsections, the end sections having top iaps and the top section having atuck-flap fitting between the front section and the top flaps andslotted to form in part a locking-tongue positioned to be forced belowthe top aps; substantially as described.

Q. In a carton, the combination with a body portion including' a frontsection, end sections, and a top flap, of a top section, and a tucki'iapupon said top section, said tuck-iap including a flexible locking-tongueseparated by a slot from said top section and fitting without folding'in the space between said front section and said top fiap and inproximity to the front of the carton, whereby said-lockingtongue can beforced by the operator into locking position below said top flap;substantially as described.

3. In a carton, the combination with a body portion having a frontsection, end sections, anda top flap, of a top section, and a tuckflapupon said top section and adapted to be inserted in the space betweensaid front section and said top fiap, said tuck-flap including aiiexible locking-tongue separated by a slot from said top section and,when said top is in closed position, lying in proximity to said frontsection, said tuck-flap including said locking-tongue being whenextended 0f less length than the distance between said end sections,whereby said tuck-Hap including said lockingvtongue can without foldingbe inserted in the space between said end sections, and saidlocking-tongue can by pressure applied to said front section be forcedinto locking position with relation to said top flap; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature, in the presence oftwo witnesses,this 10th day of December, 1903.

ALBERT C. SMITH.

fitnessesr F. ll/IIsKnLLY, JOHN KAVANAUGH.

